Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Chapel Hill isn't rolling right along
Coventry woman abducted at gunpoint; ex-boyfriend arrested after 100-mph chase
New eateries expand menu of options
Patrick McManamon: Here's what the Browns should try the rest of the season
Akron City Council OKs higher speed on I-77
Stark County engineer dies at 49
Suitcase causes bomb scare at Akron bus terminal
Blogs:
Pets:
First Person: Inside St. Louis Pit Bull Shelter
The Heldenfiles:
Talking Television
Patrick McManamon:
Mangini opens up to national media
Akron Zips:
Interview with a Temple blogger
Tribe Matters:
Indians announce spring dates
Cleveland Browns:
Quinn tabbed to start against Ravens Monday night
Kent State Sports:
KSU Notes – November 11
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Cavs: Yeah, on That Issue of Privacy
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes Roll 100-60 / Season Outlook
Varsity Letters:
Gridlocks: Week 2 Playoff Edition
All Da King's Men:
Democrats Divided Over Abortion
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Simply Incapable of Telling The Truth
Akron Law Café:
Study says 2,200 uninsured veterans died in 2008 due to lack of health insurance.
See Jane Style:
Muffle Your Muffler
Car Chase:
Clock Tender- Extending the Life of Collector Car Clocks
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Rumors: Akron Starbucks Closing
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Kimberly requests information on living in Columbus, Ohio.
Sound Check:
Aeromsith looking for new singer as Steven Tyler contemplates solo career
HRLite House:
Personal Rant – Why People Do Not Live in Northeast Ohio
Akron Gamer:
Video: 'Modern Warfare 2' hits the streets
University celebrates upgrades at new home of mass media studies
By Carol Biliczky
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Friday, Apr 18, 2008
The Kent State University community will celebrate today as it relaunches its newest building — the newly renovated Franklin Hall.
There will be a formal dedication at 1:30 p.m. and an open house from 2 p.m. through the afternoon for the stately, neoclassical building.
University officials have put more than $22 million into the new home for the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, which opened for classes last fall.
''We can start to do some of the things that weren't possible in the old buildings,'' said Jeff Fruit, director of the school. ''It's a really great opportunity to move ahead on the next generation of media.''
Franklin Hall was built in 1926 for $350,000 as KSU's first University School. It is situated on the historic North Campus, the wooded slope dotted with buildings dating to the start of the university in 1910 as a teacher-training facility.
Over the last 25 years, KSU has spent more than $50 million
to update all the other buildings on the North Campus' circular drive: Lowry, Merrill, Moulton, McGilvrey, Rockwell, Cartwright and Kent halls.
The redo for Franklin was more expensive because construction costs shot up over the quarter century that the North Campus renovations were in progress.
Franklin also had fallen into disrepair and it needed a host of technological improvements to serve the 1,100 students in today's media programs. At 60,000 square feet, it was too small to meet the school's needs, so a 20,000-square-foot wing was added.
After gutting Franklin, the university installed air conditioning, modern windows, new stairs, a 150-seat lecture hall, 80,000 square feet for digital TV and radio studios, wireless Internet access and a joint newsroom for the student television station, newspaper, radio station and magazine.
Michael Bruder, director of design and construction in the KSU architect's office, said Franklin is the most technologically advanced building for students on campus.
''They have a high-speed network within the building and they went completely digital,'' Bruder said.
About $15 million of the cost was funded with state tax money. Another $1.2 million was privately donated; contributions are being sought for the balance.
Meanwhile, the completion of Franklin last fall set off something of a chain reaction elsewhere on campus.
With the print and photo programs out of the basement of Taylor Hall, that space is being renovated for the School of Communication Studies and for the School of Architecture and Environmental Design, the latter of which already occupies the rest of the building. Space also has been set aside for a visitors center to commemorate the shootings of students by Ohio National Guardsmen on May 4, 1970.
With the broadcast programs out of the Music and Speech Center, the university is using a $6.5 million gift from the Roe Green Foundation and $6.5 million in state money for renovations to serve the School of Theatre and Dance.
The building will get two additions totaling 30,000 square feet — one for a black box, or experimental, theater, and the other for dance studios now in the Gym Annex.
That will enable the school to bring the dance and theater programs under the same roof for the first time.
That's in part what Franklin achieved for journalism and mass media.
The new Franklin brings together students studying all aspects of media — from news to public relations to electronic media production — for the first time in the university's history.
Franklin's open house is free;. For details, call 330-672-2572.
Carol Biliczky can be reached at 330-996-3729 or cbiliczky@thebeaconjournal.com.
The Kent State University community will celebrate today as it relaunches its newest building — the newly renovated Franklin Hall.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
